GOLF: J Schil’s Thought of the Week: Your Knee Versus Tiger’s Knee

The PGA Tour event that Tiger Woods hosts, the AT&T National, is currently taking place outside Philadelphia. One person who isn’t participating in it: Tiger Woods. He’s missing the event with what his website describes as a “Grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon” which he suffered during the third round of The Masters.

So why can you or I play with a knee injury and Tiger Woods can’t? Well, it starts with his swing speed. Tiger’s driver swing gets up to 125mph. The average golfer? 80-85mph, if even that. That’s a lot less strain on your body, especially your front knee.

In addition, Tiger’s swing contains a drastic firing and straightening of his left leg leading into impact which, at 125mph causes immense strain on his left knee. 500 balls a day, rigorous workout sessions, 14 years into this – it’s easy to see why knee and Achilles problems can develop. And at 125mph, the ability to aggravate a minor injury and turn it into a major one is very high.

Meanwhile, because the average golf isn’t swinging as fast or as violently, or practicing as much, the opportunity to inflict major damage is much less. So they can play with an ache, pain or even a little bit of an MCL tear. The ability to make the problem worse just isn’t there.

So as Tiger sits on the couch for the foreseeable future, and millions spend their weekend on the golf course, you can thank your slower swing speed letting you play through some pain or preventing the use of Advil in the first place! And that’s more money you can put right back into your next green’s fee.

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GOLF: J Schil’s Thought of the Week: Golf Needs a Boost, Is this It?

(This post originally appeared on NJNR Newsroom.)

On a recreational scale, most would say golf is healthy, but not thriving. Good courses have tee times stacked from dawn ‘til dusk during the heart of the season, but some other courses just aren’t as popular. There was a golf course design boom in the latter part of the 1990s and early 2000s but now that bubble has burst, and a lot of those courses now sit empty or unfinished, making beautiful plots of land lay ugly.

There’s also this crucial fact: to many, golf isn’t fun. The rounds take five hours. The holes are too long. Their fellow golfers are too rude, and going to the driving range and acting like Happy Gilmore is more enticing than trying to make your first ace.

Changes must take place.

This past week the New York Times highlighted two different organizations trying to bring golfers back to the course. It’s needed. The National Golf Foundation says there were three million less players in this country in 2009 than there were four years prior. And American golfers played 24 million fewer rounds of golf last year than they did five years ago.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

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PRESSBOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week — April 17, 2011

(This article originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships. That axiom has been stuck in my head since my very early days a sports fan.

Well, the New York Knicks have certainly sold some tickets this year, with their much-publicized offseason acquisition of Amar’e Stoudemire and the blockbuster mid-season trade for Carmelo Anthony.

Now they enter the NBA Playoffs, where defense reigns. Awaiting the Knicks are the Boston Celtics, game one tips off tonight at 7 pm in Boston.

The Celtics boast the big four of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. Besides the tangible aspects, they have one thing the Knicks don’t: chemistry. This is their fourth straight season playing together as a cohesive unit.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

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PRESSBOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week — March 16, 2011

(This article originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

Sports are a weird thing. You can be so high one minute and so low the next. As an alumnus of Quinnipiac University, I was extremely excited to head back up to Hamden, Conn. a couple Saturdays ago for the Northeast Conference semifinal against Robert Morris. The TD Bank Sports Center was absolutely rocking and everyone had a good feeling about this one.

Until it went the other way.

Led by a stifling defense that forced numerous turnovers and some timely shooting at the end, Robert Morris pulled out a 64-62 victory.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

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PRESSBOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week — January 19, 2011

(This post originally appeared on Press Box.)

“Most-watched television show last season.”

“Most-watched Divisional Round game ever with 43.5 Million viewers.”

“At the height of its popularity.”

Those are all accolades being thrown the National Football League’s way as the 2010-2011 season nears its end. Yet, labor peace seems far away.

Peter King of SI.com dropped this nugget on an internet talk show Monday. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/17/king-some-owners-would-rather-lose-season-than-keep-current-system/

“I don’t think any of the major areas are getting closer,” King said. “The biggest area right now is that I believe there are owners out there — prominent owners — that if the system isn’t fixed to where it was a lot closer to pre-’06 levels than it is now . . . I think there are some owners would rather just lose the season.”

Well isn’t that wonderful.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

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PRESS BOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week: December 29, 2010

(This post originally appeared on Press Box.)

One of the headlines of the 2010 television season is the dominating nature of the National Football League. Bill Carter of the New York Times wrote about the subject last week, in which he gave these astounding stats:

“Of the 20 highest-rated telecasts of any kind so far this television season, 18 have been N.F.L. games on CBS, NBC or Fox. In terms of the best of 2010, nothing else comes close. Of the 50 highest-rated programs during the calendar year, 27 have been N.F.L. games, including 8 of the top 10.”

[Click here to read the rest of the story.]

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PRESS BOX: J Schil’s Thought: November 10, 2010

(This post originally appeared on Press Box.)

Religion and music? Sure – there’s a match there. But religion and sports? Yes, I believe there is. For years Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts have been labeled ‘religious experiences.” For me, one of the high points is always when the houselights get brought up during the intro to “Born to Run” and 20,000 people (or 52,000 or so in a stadium show) are suddenly united as one singing and dancing to every single lyric and note. And it’s that ecstasy feeling that I base my statement that “religious experiences” and sports do mix.

In sports it ranges from the two strike chant in baseball to the D-fence chants in basketball and football. In college football and basketball you have specific chants and noise making devices that unite all kinds of fans, no matter what their grade, major, or hometown is.

To put it this way I’ll use this travel example: I’ve long stated that baggage claim is my favorite part of flying because it unites everyone – no matter your socioeconomic status, race, gender, anything – because we’re all there for one purpose: to get our bags, and leave.

That, to me, is religion in sports. It’s the uniting of all of us – no matter who you are and what you are – because we want to see our team win. That’s what it’s all about.

Look at the people in college sports who camp out overnight, sometimes in the worst of weather, to get the best seats. That’s religion in sports. That’s dedication. That is what it’s all about: doing whatever it takes to see and help your team WIN.

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PRESS BOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week — November 3, 2010

(This article originally appeared on Press Box.)

America voted yesterday and millions upon millions of Americans exercised their democratic right to go to the polls and vote however they wished. In some places change happened. In some places it didn’t.

America’s vote – it’s something a lot of us sports fans wish we could have.

Would we vote to change the BCS? Could a playoff system pass a nationwide vote of the American people? Or would money and special interests, which drives so many political elections, drive that vote too, and not let a playoff see the light of the day?

So many NFL fans want to see overtime revamped. Could that pass a nationwide vote? Or would regions where their teams are dominated by strong defenses (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, etc) vote against it? Would regions where teams are dominated by strong offenses (Indianapolis, New England, etc) vote for it?

Some want to see more instant replay in Major League Baseball. Would the purists vote against it? Or would the newcomers push hard and vote for it?

The shootout in the NHL has been a hot button issue ever since it was introduced after the lockout. As with baseball, would the purists get enough of an effort together to block it from being passed? Or would the newcomers push hard enough to keep an exciting part of the sport in the game?

Just some food for thought as the election results continue to pour in and America digests what it did yesterday in the 2010 Midterm Elections.

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PRESS BOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week — October 27, 2010

(This article originally appeared on Press Box.)

Golf needed a strong end to 2010 — an end that would be remembered for shots on the golf course, not distractions off it. It got just that.

It started at the Tour Championship, where the top 30 players on FedEx Cup points list were playing for the $10 million playoffs prize plus the $1.35 million tournament prize. A scintillating Sunday ended in one of the top shots of the year as Jim Furyk hit a tough, long bunker shot on wet sand to two feet and then converted the putt – winning $11.35 million in one fell swoop. Some people wanted to talk about the money more than the shot – but they remember it, and I’ll happily take that.

The very next week most of the main players in United States and European golf were at Celtic Manor in Wales for the Ryder Cup. Many in the States don’t realize this, but in Europe that is THE biggest golf event in the years that it’s played. And oh did it live up to its expectations. After rain plagued two of the first three days, the sun shined on the first Monday finish in Ryder Cup history and so did the players.

The United States almost made the second greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history. But in the end Graeme McDowell was too much, and his clutch shot making and putting was too much for the Americans as he beat Hunter Mahan in the anchor match and sealed the 14 ½ to 13 ½ victory for the Europeans. Golf was on the sports map for a fantastic reason for that Monday, basking in the glow of one of the greatest golf displays anyone had ever seen.

For most Americans and for a majority of the top level golfers around the world, the Ryder Cup was the last marquee event that they’ll play in 2010. However, most, like Tiger Woods, will play in some more events that will garner the attention of the sports landscape for just seconds, rather than minutes. And we’ve already seen fantastic shot making from Rocco Mediate and Jonathan Byrd in the PGA Tour’s Fall Series. But I think it’s appropriate if we just end our 2010 PGA Tour review here, because for a year that started off with so many off the course distractions, it ended on a heavenly high note for action ON the course, just the way it should be.

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PRESS BOX: J Schil’s Thought of the Week, October 13, 2010

(This article originally appeared on Press Box.)

Yesterday, the National Football League announced that Nike will take over for Reebok in 2010 as the official uniform provider for the league. Reebok’s 10 year, $300 million deal with the NFL ends after next season.

The most interesting aspect of this to is that according to Brand President Charlie Denson, Nike plans on changing the NFL jersey dramatically just like they’ve done with the college programs, using new thinking and the greatest technology available. The NFL program hasn’t had the same type of advancement in recent years.

Don’t worry, they aren’t changing colors or logos, just technology.

To me, this is a very welcome sight. It seems like more and more injuries occur in the NFL every year. Take a walk through any sporting apparel store and you’ll see tons of new pads and protective wear that will hopefully help to stem the tide of these impactful injuries.

The good thing about companies like Under Armor arriving on the scene was it forced the old timers to up their game – Nike, included. And while anything in business is about money, I do think (and hope) that the NFL saw this technological gain and that this decision was based on helping the league and its players become better, and not just healthier financially.

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